Carbon County WY Archives Biographies.....Kearns, Foster 1861 - 
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Joy Fisher http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00001.html#0000031 October 23, 2011, 5:55 pm

Source: See below
Author: A. W. Bowen (Publisher)

FOSTER KEARNS.

   One of the progressive citizens of Carbon county, Wyoming, whose enterprise
has contributed much to the development of that section of the state, is Foster
Kearns, whose address is Collins, Wyo. A native of Clearfield countv. Pa., he
was born on January 1, 1861, the son of Foster and Eliza (Dillon) Kearns, the
former a native of Ireland and the latter of the Keystone state. The father came
from his native country in early life and established his home near
Phillipsburg, Pa., and engaged in coal mining. He lost his life from an accident
in a mine shortly after the birth of his son Foster, who after the unfortunate
death of his father availed himself to the best advantage of his limited
opportunities for obtaining an education. He was compelled to leave school in
early life and find employment to aid in the support of his mother and the
family. Securing a position in a lumber yard for a time he learned the trade of
millwright, an occupation for which he had a natural aptitude. When he was
sixteen years of age he was run over by a logging team and so seriously injured
as to necessitate the amputation of his left leg. He was confined for some time
in the hospital and later returned to the lumbering business, in which he
continued until he was twenty-one years old. He then left Pennsylvania and
removed to Kansas for one summer, then going on to the then territory of
Wyoming, arriving there in the fall of 1882. Establishing his headquarters at
Laramie City, he engaged in freighting from that place to the mines of the
Encampment district, and continued in this pursuit with considerable success for
about two years, when he removed to Beaver Creek in Carbon county, located a
ranch and engaged in ranching and kindred pursuits. Subsequently he disposed of
this property and located another place on Encampment Creek, later taking up a
second place on the same creek. These ranches he improved and developed,
subsequently sold for a good figure and again removed to Beaver Creek, where he
remained established in the stock business until 1901. During this time he
became quite extensively interested in both cattle and horses, and carried on a
successful business. In 1901 he disposed of his interests and devoted his time
largely to mining. From 1888 to 1898 he was engaged in developing a claim he had
in the copper belt at the head of Little Beaver Creek. In the latter year he
organized the Kearns Consolidated Copper Mining Co., to operate this property
more extensively. He is its president, and the company controls 240 acres of
mining ground, 160 acres platted as a town site and a large amount of
development work has been projected. The town is named Dowington, in honor of
the Dowington Bros. of Denver, who are largely interested in the company. In
addition to his other important holdings Mr. Kearns is the owner of several
other valuable claims in the vicinity, which promise to make him one of the
wealthy men of that section. In August, 1901, he erected a store building at
Dowington and engaged in general merchandising. This venture has proved to be a
success, and his business is steadily increasing from the rapid settlement of
the adjacent mining country. On April 19, 1885, Mr. Kearns was united in
marriage with Miss Celestia Platt, a native of Iowa, and the daughter of Henry
Platt, a native of Washington county, Pa. Her paternal grandfather was also a
Pennsylvanian, who removed to Ohio, where he established his residence in
Guernsey county and engaged in farming, in which he continued up to the time of
his death. Her father then removed to Richland county, Ohio, where he remained
for a number of years, and then resided in Iowa until 1885, when he removed to
the then territory of Wyoming. He is still residing in this state, in the
enjoyment of good health, although he has reached the advanced age of
eighty-three years. Mr. Kearns is a director in the Copper State Rank of
Encampment, one of the heaviest stockholders in that institution. He is a
successful man of business, whose energy and ability have been very instrumental
in drawing the attention of capital to the great resources of this section of
Wyoming, and in settling up the country and building up its industries. It is
such men as he that build up prosperous communities throughout the western
country and bring civilization out of barbarism and savagery. His activity and
business success, in spite of the physical misfortune which he sustained in
early life, have been remarkable, and he is held in high esteem.


Additional Comments:

Extracted from:

PROGRESSIVE MEN OF THE STATE OF WYOMING
ILLUSTRATED

CHICAGO, ILL.
A. W. BOWEN &CO.
PUBLISHERS AND ENGRAVERS
1903


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